From Alaskan Glaciers to Icy Moons: Unraveling Space Mysteries on Earth
29.08.2025
Exploring the hidden secrets in the icy depths of distant celestial bodies like Europa or Enceladus by studying Alaska's glaciers. This is the extraordinary reality of the GEMINI project, where terrestrial geology meets space exploration.
The GEMINI project (Glacial Environment deformation Mechanisms to INfer Icy satellites tectonics), funded by the National Geographic Grant Program, recognizes the scientific project of Costanza Rossi from INAF - Astronomical Observatory of Padua. With the involvement of the Department of Geosciences at the University of Padua and the technical-logistical support of the La Venta Geographical Explorations association, GEMINI explores the connection between fractures observed in Alaskan glaciers and those present on the surface of icy satellites of Jupiter and Saturn, such as Ganymede, Europa, and Enceladus.
These celestial bodies possess ice crusts deformed by internal forces, generating vast systems of rupture zones, such as fractures and faults, considered possible pathways to hidden liquid oceans beneath the surface. The study of these surfaces is primarily based on images acquired by space probes, which offer limited large-scale data. For this reason, the analysis of terrestrial analogues becomes fundamental to understanding processes on a smaller scale. Glaciers represent an ideal natural laboratory: their flow generates fractures similar to those detected on icy satellites.
A team of researchers, including Riccardo Pozzobon from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Padua, has departed for Alaska to study the fractures of the Juneau Icefield glaciers, one of the most extensive in the world. The team will conduct field surveys and satellite observations. The collected data will be integrated and compared to produce multi-scale cartography. This approach will allow transferring knowledge acquired from studying terrestrial glaciers to the study of icy satellite surfaces, filling the gap in local-scale data. This way, it will be possible to gain a deeper understanding of fracture organization and identify the most promising structures for investigating the subsurface of icy satellites.
The Nat Geo project will be complemented by surveys for the exploratory potential of glacial moulins, conducted by Alessio Romeo from La Venta. The Juneau area (capital of Alaska) and its icefield have been experiencing significant retreat in recent years. Recently, about two weeks ago, there was a sudden release of meltwater from the Mendenhall Glacier, causing a flood risk - fortunately averted - for the suburbs of Juneau.
